Day 15 Sunday
Noon
"Wow!" Lincoln nudged Clyde. "She's a keeper!" He had just been filled in on Clyde's date with Bonnie. They actually had a lot in common.
The bespectacled track star laughed happily. "I know, Linc!" He glanced in Lincoln's mirror and rubbed his head. "Bald is a good look for me, but, you think Lola would have an idea for some hair at least?"
From down the hall they heard Lola shout. "Crew Cut!"
"Lucy might have bats but Lola has their hearing." Lincoln mentioned.
"You calling me one of those flying rats?" came down the hall again.
"N-N-No! Just complimenting your hearing, Lola!" Lincoln stuttered.
"Aaaw! Thank you, Big Brother!"
"Linc, you just turned red." Clyde pointed out.
"Well," He needed an excuse. "A couple of my sisters walked in when... you know... and they've been teasing me about it."
"I'm surprised they haven't jumped you." Clyde mentioned. "I've seen it in the locker room, remember." Clyde felt weird mentioning that. "If the other guys saw it, they'd shut up about how much of a dork you are. Hell, I'd strip down and march through like a stud horse if I was half that!"
It was Lincoln's turn to feel weird. "Clyde, we're the same."
"You think it had to do with that stuff we drank of Lisa's on New Years Eve last year?" Clyde asked.
"I still think that was cider, Clyde. We just have good genes."
"Jeans? I thought Clyde was wearing slacks?" Came from down the hall.
"All your sisters have great hearing." Clyde whispered. "Watch what you say, Linc."
"Yeah, it's a bit quieter than it usually is. Maybe that has something to do with it."
"Where are the usual noise makers?" Clyde wondered.
"Uuum, Lori is at the restraunt with Lynn and Lana. Mika's helping them get into the groove. Luan had a birthday booked. she won't be home until later since she's stopping by the old folks home. Luna and Violet are out on a date, an all day date. Lisa and Yuki went to the ... somewhere." He filled Clyde in as they walked through the house and out the door. "I think they miss their kids being off at summer camp. At least they get to talk to them on the phone."
They talked about the plans they had for a while.
"So what is Yuki like?" Clyde asked as they were entering his living room.
"Gamer, draws and paints, photographer, fashion designer as well as a model, speaks several languages... she can be really loud!" Lincoln flushed red.
"So she fits in, huh?" Clyde chuckled. "Why are you blushing now?"
"She slept in my room last night, I sorta spaced it out and walked in."
"What happened?" Lincoln picked up some excitement in his friend's voice.
"She had me take a picture." He remembered her tossing him the camera. Sticky with her juices and watching as those long fingers repeatedly went in and out of her. "It was... a sight to see."
"I call bull on that, buddy!" Clyde laughed. "That's a good one though!" He stopped as he saw Lincoln staring ahead. "Yo, Lincoln!"
"Yeah, um, good one alright!" He looked Clyde over. "Definetly try the crew cut when your hair grows out again."
"So where's Lucy and Lily?"
"Shinji took them for the day."
"That's it?" Clyde asked. "I wonder what they're doing?"
"Okay, that's it, Sweetheart. Just push that foreward and..." There was a click. "See? Easy!"
Lily smiled up at the woman with a sense of accomplishment.
"Can I try it out now?" Lily asked.
There were several loud pops from behind the girl.
"Way to go, Lucy!" Shinji hollered. The little goth waved and let a smile slip onto her face for a moment.
"Sure, Sweetheart!" She put the earmuffs on the little blonde's head and ushered her to the booth. "Now remember how I showed you to hold it. Otherwise you'll get a pinch." Lucy stepped up behind the two and watched as Lily fired a round and hit the edge of the target. "Relax. Breath." Lily fired again and hit near center. She glanced back briefly with a big grin only to turn back, now filled with confidence and emptied out the last seven rounds. It was a nice grouping for a first time shooter who was just three.
"That's wonderful, Lily!" She hugged the girl. "Now what do we do next?"
Lily went through the motions of clearing the weapon and removing the magazine. She set them side by side and stepped away.
"Good girl! Now, what aren't guns?"
She looked at Shinji. "Aren't guns? Guns are not toys!"
Shinji hugged her, she took the time to pull Lucy into the hug as well.
"Okay, Want to go try paint ball?"
Lily nodded excitedly.
"It stings." Shinji mentioned.
Lily looked at her hand. "Does it hurt more than getting pinched?" She held her hand up showing off a bruise that she had gotten on her first shot. Shinji shrugged. "Okay!"
Collorful beads whipped through the air. Shinji commanded the two girls with ease. For them it was a game, for her, it was a horrible flashback. The old humvee in the middle of the field had real holes in it. She focused on the girls and managed to hold her grip on reality.
Lucy proved to be really sneaky. Lily had a height advantage, as in, she could hide behind anything.
Shinji was covered in dirt and foxtails and a few burrs. Three games and none of them had been hit. This would be their last, as Lily had called out about what she wanted for lunch. Just then the girl stood up with the other team's flag. "We win!" Lily said happily. Then she was hit with a dozen yellow paintballs, right in the chest arms and leg.
"Hey! Game's over!" Shinji heard Lucy roar and then the sound of a paintball gun emptying followed by a boy running to his father crying.
Lily was rubbing her leg and went to her big sister. "He was mean."
"Burgers and fries, you said." Shinji stepped up ignoring the situation and gathered both girls in her arms. "Chocolate shakes all around."
As they stepped out of the field a man stormed away from a boy covered in red paint. Lucy's red paint.
"Your daughter shot my son!" He pointed to Lucy.
"My daughters would have reloaded and fired until he was covered in pink. Be glad it was my niece."
"No! You..." He started and stopped suddenly with surprise.
"Hold on a second." She held her hand up to his face and let Lucy and Lily down. "Go return your equipment." She told them. She waited until they were a few steps away and turned back to the man. "Your son is a poor sport."
"My son is..." He shut up as Shinji fired a single paintball into his groin. He cringed and went down to his knees. "I'll see you banned." He wheezed.
"I'll just buy the place." She said as if it wasn't a big deal. "Teach your kid about..." She stopped and eyed a woman with a young boy. They were giving her a look like they knew her, a stink eye. "Let me guess, you met my sister at the park." Shinji laughed as she called out to the woman. "Oh this is rich! Now I see why the boys are little shits." Shinji walked on fighting back her chuckles.
When she stepped into the office she looked at the guy. "You the owner?" He nodded yes. "How about I pay your bills for the next few years?"
"Uh... What?" the man asked.
"Ban the brats." She motioned to the four storming their way towards the office. "Even the ones that look like adults." Shinji took out a pen and her check book. "Intersted in any of the surrounding property while we're at it?"
"Sure!" In his mind his ship had just come in. "Been meaning to get the old farm!"
"How much?" She asked.
He told her and like that she handed him the check.
"Year long passes?" She asked going for her wallet.
"Take them!" He handed her a box. The door opened behind her. "I'm sorry folks but I'm afraid you're banned."
"Yeah, you should ban them!" The man was rather surprised when the security guard escorted him and his family out.
"You can tell he has money." Shinji leaned on the counter. "Hey, you need help with rennovations, just drop my name for a generous discount. I'll see you 'round!" She set her card on the counter.
"Gee, thanks!" He patted Lily on the head. "I couldn't afford to ban customers until now." He was still talking to Shinji. Then he looked to Lily. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Thank you!" Lily wiped some of the yellow off of her hand with her shirt.
"Good, because that was a low blow. Had a few problems with the Neilsons. Mostly Mr. Neilson and Mrs. Neilson."
"Is Mister Neilson's first name Yancy?" Shinji asked.
"Uh, yeah, I got his name on a rental slip." The owner started looking through his box of rentals. "I'm Harold, by the way."
"Dearest. People call me Dearest." She bent down. "Lucy, get you and Lily a couple sodas and go wait in the car. Take Fskit a water."
"Fskit isn't here." Lucy droned.
"Lucy, my little darkling, he hides better than the three of us."
About eight minutes later Shinji opened the door and found Lucy and Lily entertaining the feline with a string. "Told ya." She said getting behind the wheel.
"Can I drive?" Lily asked.
"Not this car, buuut, I know a place." She looked over the seat. "You ever golf?"
"Lori makes me caddy for her sometimes." Lucy replied with another groan.
"It's more fun to play. Let's go!"
"At least they had these aweful pants in black. Now it matches my soul."
"Na. Still not you." Shinji pushed Lucy back into the pro shop changing room. "Wait there."
Shinji hit a few novelty racks up, then asked about if they had any leftovers from Halloween.
Surprisingly they did.
When Lucy stepped out later she wore the typical golf outfit but with a skeleton motif.
"And if you turns off the light, y'all look like ya just bones!" Shinji flicked the switch and even with the light coming through the shop windows, Lucy saw what she meant.
"I look like a dead golfer."
The lights came back on. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Shinji asked hopefully.
"It's better than just the flat black. I am not that one dimensional. And I'll admit, I think i'm starting to like plaid." The goth turned to check herself out.
"That'll give Leni nightmares, Little Miss Scare All." Shinji watched as Lily nodded in agreement.
"Hmm." Lucy grinned. "I like that. Fitting!" She looked Shinji over. The asian woman wore black and purple plaid with a golf cap. "How do you make it look so good?"
Shinji shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's like my drama teacher said, just own it."
"You don't look like the drama type." Lucy pointed out.
"Yeah, I never understood why they call it Drama. Acting. Aaacting!" People in the shop looked over as she got a bit loud. "Hey, mind ya own bidniz! Look away, foolz!"
Lucy had to hide her smirk. If she had heard that voice on the phone she would have imagined one of the black women from that Vampire in New York movie.
"Wait until I break out the race card in Cantonese!" Shinji whispered with a giggle. She stood up and looked around. "Lily?"
"I still look stupid!" The little girl replied.
"Nine outfits, Lily, there isn't much more in your..." Shinji eyed the plain white outfit Lily tossed out earlier. "... you like tie-dye?"
The tall Asian woman and the girl with skeleton bones accompanied by the little girl in a multicolor ensamble drew much attention.
It really was Lily wearing a big pair of dark sunglasses and tie-dye. She rolled a sucker around in her mouth. Her golf cap tilted to one side. She had a cocky little smirk as she piloted the cart along the path that made people take a look.
They skipped a bunch of holes the first time and started over. Now Lily was stopping along side other carts and they would take their shots.
Shinji struck up several conversations using several languages. She scored their trio coupons and samples from various businessmen and they ended up with a nice little haul.
"Everyone is out here to work an angle!" She informed the girls.
On their third round Shinji was talked into a round of betting on the holes. She won ninety dollars on the total of eighteen holes.
Which she used to buy lunch for them all.
"You took apart the whole sandwich!" Lucy marvled at Shinji.
"Trying to find out what tastes funny on this damn thing." She scraped her tongue with her teeth and grimaced. "Like old mayonaise!"
"Want some salad?" Lily asked.
"Walnuts'll kill me, kid." Shinji said after looking the bowl over. "Yuki and Mika too. That's why we make our own brownies and banana nut bread. We use almonds, or pecans."
"How bad is your alergy." Lucy asked.
"I flatlined twice before the paramedics arrived, twice on the way to the hospital, one of which where I was declaired dead for at least three, maybe four minutes." She titled her hand back and forth and squinted as she weighed how long it was. "If it weren't for that pot hole who knows."
"Did you see the other side?" Lucy asked with a bit of emotion usually not heard in her voice. Even Lily gave her sister a questioning look.
"Purgatory is bland. Lots of grey. Everybody is so concerned with 'was I good enough' and all that. After you get past that it kinda reminds me of the DMV. I am not waiting in that line!"
Lucy had no choice but to chuckle as she recalled her parents dragging her along to the DMV once. She could literally imagine people in the purgatory queues with just two windows open.
"So, how is your reading coming along? You know, Uncle Johnathon's Diary." Shinji asked.
"No luck. I... can the eye of newt be from a dead newt, I really don't want to hurt animals."
Shinji had to fight back a burst of laughter, causing it to come out as an amused snort. "We have got to take you to an herbalist. Or an occult shop."
A while later Clyde and Lincoln sat on the sofa watching old reruns of Arrgh!
"So you really think Shinji would let a three year old shoot a gun?" Clyde asked.
Lincoln shrugged as he passed the pipe to Clyde.
"And Lucy actually wearing a golf uniform. Lincoln, I just don't see that ever hap...en...ing..." Clyde stare in amazement as they saw the three people they had been discussing walking by his house.
Lily was getting a piggy back ride from Shinji while Lucy and her carried bags. All three wore the same style outfits golfers wore. They briefly caught a hint of the conversation Lily and Shinji were having.
"Lily, I told you, you got to ask Lori if it's okay for me to get you a target pistol."
"Uh, Clyde, did you see and hear that?" Lincoln asked.
"Wow!" Clyde let out the smoke he was holding in. "This stuff is so strong it gave you psychic powers, Lincoln!"
"Dude." Lincoln waved his hand no as Clyde offered the pipe back. "I don't want to risk seeing any more of the future. Things always get messed up in the movies."
"Good idea. I'll put this up for later."
Dinner that night featured Beef Tar Tar and sides traditionally served with it.
Even though her sisters ignored her face being jammed in a laptop covered in so many stickers you couldn't even see the brand, the Louds did.
Being used to seeing her actively talking or drawing at the dinner table they had becomed concerned.
Soon the darkly dressed Kanaan sister excused herself, folding up the laptop and pulling out a cell phone. Her dinner left unfinished.
"Uh, Yuki, Mika?" Lori asked. the two looked over. "Is shinji okay?"
"It happens." They replied and returned to their meals and the other topics being thrown around the table.
Lori looked over to Lucy who was staring off in the direction Shinji had went. 'Bingo!'